Alaska Baseball

Mat-Su outfielder Stewart and Bucs right-hander Mundell lead the annual All-ABL Team

Mat-Su Miners outfielder Christin Stewart, who raked pitchers with a combination of power and batting average, and Anchorage Bucs towering right-hander Garrett Mundell, who barely permitted hitters a sniff, captured the Alaska Baseball League's two biggest honors Friday.

Stewart, who plays in college at Tennessee, was voted Player of the Year. He hit .336 in 35 games, scored 26 runs, drove in 31, and laced 14 doubles, two triples and five home runs.

The 6-foot-6 Mundell, from Fresno State, was selected Pitcher of the Year. He went 4-1 with a 0.63 earned-run average, allowing just three earned runs in 422/3 innings, and striking out 30.

The Silver Slugger Award went to Mat-Su shortstop A.J. Simcox, who hit .356, drove in 20 runs and stole 10 bases.

The Gold Glove Award and Top Pro Prospect Award both went to Fairbanks Goldpanners shortstop David Fletcher, who graduated high school in California in the spring and is headed to Loyola Marymount in the fall. Fletcher, an All-ABL second-team pick, hit .246, stole 20 bases and struck out just 11 times in 138 at bats. Fletcher was voted onto the All-ABL second team.

Fairbanks' Bryan Harris was selected Coach of the Year.

The Goldpanners won the league championship with a 22-13 record, two games ahead of the Bucs and Miners.

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All honors were determined in a vote of media, broadcasters and two league representatives.

The Peninsula Oilers led the 23-player first team with seven players. The Miners placed five players on the first team, the Goldpanners and Anchorage Glacier Pilots each had four representatives, the Bucs had two and the Chugiak Chinooks one.

Friday's announcement of the All-ABL awards came on the final day of round-robin play in the season-ending ABL Tournament, which features five of the circuit's six teams -- the Peninsula Oilers are not participating.

The Glacier Pilots (3-1in the tournament) and Goldpanners (2-2) advanced to the best-of-3 finals, which begins with a Saturday double-header at Mulcahy Stadium, with games set for 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. If a third game is necessary, it will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. at Mulcahy.

The Glacier Pilots qualified for the finals because they earned the best record in round-robin play. The Goldpanners, who had the same tournament record as the Miners and Bucs, advanced to the finals because they had the best regular-season league record among those three teams.

Fletcher helped spark the Goldpanners' winning rally Friday, when they beat the Chinooks, 4-3 in 10 innings.

Fletcher drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 10th, moved to second base on first-team All-ABLer Alex Rubanowicz's sacrifice bunt and third base on second-team All-ABLer David Edwards' single before scoring on Nolan Meadows' walk-off single. Meadows went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs, the first one with a triple in the sixth inning.

The Goldpanners never led until Fletcher crossed home plate to end the game.

That marked the sixth time in 10 tournament games that a game required extra innings.

In the final round-robin game, Ryan Leonards and Matt Daugherty each drove in two runs Friday night, and Don Andre Clark scored twice, to spearhead the Bucs to a 4-2 win over the Glacier Pilots. Bucs starter Kenny Smith allowed just five hits and one run in seven innings of the club's final game of the season.

Glacier Pilots designated hitter Kevin White hit a solo homer.

Alaska Baseball League All-League Selections

Voted by media, broadcasters and two league reps

Player of the Year -- Christin Stewart, outfielder, Mat-Su Miners.

Pitcher of the Year -- Garrett Mundell, right-hander, Anchorage Bucs.

Silver Slugger -- A.J. Simcox, shortstop, Mat-Su Miners.

Gold Glove -- David Fletcher, shortstop, Fairbanks Goldpanners.

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Top Pro Prospect -- David Fletcher, shortstop, Fairbanks Goldpanners.

Coach of the Year -- Bryan Harris, Fairbanks Goldpanners.

First Team

First baseman -- Alex Rubanowitz, Goldpanners (.228, 7 SB, 15 RBI). Second baseman -- Jake Alvarez, Oilers (.301, 6 doubles). Shortstop -- A.J. Simcox, Miners (.356, 10 SB, 20 RBI). Third baseman -- Spencer Mahoney, Miners (.302, 5 doubles). Catcher -- Mike Wieland, Oilers (.260, 6 doubles, 15 RBI).

Outfielders -- Christin Stewart, Miners (.336, 14 doubles, five home runs, 31 RBI); Andre Mercurio*, Oilers (.319, 6 SB, 13 RBI); Collin Radack*, Chinooks (.310, 6 doubles, 6 SB, 13 RBI); Andy Crowley*, Bucs (.292, 8 doubles, 11 RBI).

Utility -- Kevin Garcia, Glacier Pilots (.250, 11 RBI). DH -- Gio Brusa, Miners (.260, 6 doubles, 19 RBI).

Starting pitchers -- Garrett Mundell, Bucs (4-1, 0.63 ERA); Sean Buckle, Glacier Pilots (3-2, 1.00); Michael Robards, Glacier Pilots (4-3, 2.65, 44 strikeouts in 44 innings); Logan MacAnallen, Oilers (1-3, 1.14, 37 strikeouts in 39.1 innings); G.J. Strauss, Oilers (4-1, 1.63); Nathan Bannister, Goldpanners (6-0, 2.25).

Relief pitchers -- Brendan McCurry, Glacier Pilots (0.90, six saves, 23 strikeouts in 20 innings); Travis Barnes, Oilers (1-0, 0.47, 17 strikeouts in 19 innings); Michael Coates (2-1, 2.66); Drew Smith, Miners (1-1, 3.70, five saves, 17 strikeouts in 17 innings); Cody Moffett, Goldpanners (2-0, 0.76, four saves, 34 strikeouts in 35.1 innings); Kevin Sprague, Goldpanners (0-2, 2.95, nine saves).

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Second Team

First baseman -- Collin Ferguson*, Bucs; Kewby Meyer*, Glacier Pilots. Second baseman -- David Edwards, Goldpanners. Shortstop -- David Fletcher, Goldpanners. Third baseman -- David Edwards, Goldpanners. Catcher -- Michael Thomas*, Miners; Daniel Salters*, Chinooks.

Outfielders -- Brody Russell, Glacier Pilots; A.J. Ramirez, Oilers.

Utility -- Ryan Leonards, Bucs. DH -- Michael Strentz*, Bucs; Casey Munoz*, Goldpanners.

Starting pitchers -- Andrew Sopko, Bucs; Kyle Porter, Glacier Pilots; Trevor Bettencourt, Miners; Phillip Orr, Miners, Mikey Ramirez, Goldpanners; Mike Jeffreys, Chinooks.

Relief pitchers -- Anthony Gonsolin, Bucs; Trevor Renfro, Bucs; David Herd, Bucs; Sean Adler, Glacier Pilots; Brody Greer, Oilers; Beau Hilton, Miners; Matt Milke, Goldpanners; Devin Stanton, Chinooks.

* -- Denotes tie.

Anchorage Daily News

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